Terminal diagnosis self correction method and system

ABSTRACT

Terminal diagnosis self correction is disclosed. A service inquiry is received regarding a problem with a terminal from a user. Terminal statistics are obtained remotely from the terminal and stored in a site diagnosis log. An initial diagnosis is determined with a site diagnostic tool using the terminal statistics. The initial diagnosis is stored in the site diagnosis log. A technician is dispatched to repair the terminal. Terminal statistics are obtained locally at the terminal and stored in an onsite validation tool log. An onsite diagnosis is determined using an onsite validation tool and stored the onsite validation tool log. The initial and onsite diagnoses are compared. In response to a difference between the initial and onsite diagnoses, the remotely and locally obtained terminal statistics are compared. The site diagnostic tool is adjusted based on the initial diagnosis, the onsite diagnosis, and the remote and local terminal statistics.

PRIORITY CLAIM AND CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application that claims priority toand the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/536,610, filedJun. 28, 2012, entitled, “Terminal Diagnosis Self Correction Method andSystem,” which relates to the following co-pending patent applications:“Problem Signature Terminal Diagnosis Method and System,” filed on Jun.28, 2012, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/536,600, and “Peer GroupDiagnosis Detection Method and System,” filed on Jun. 28, 2012, U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/536,604, the entire contents of each ofwhich are incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

Wireless communication systems typically include a plurality of userterminals that are used by customers or end users which transmit andreceive data from satellites and/or other antennas. For a satellitebased communication system, a satellite terminal is typically set up atthe user location by a service technician or installer. For example, auser's home may have a satellite dish installed for receiving internet,telephone, and television service, or the like. The satellite dish isinstalled with associated hardware, such as a transmitter, receiver,modem, router, set-top box, and the like. The service technicianconfigures the terminal for optimal use, for example, by correctlyorienting the satellite dish, configuring all settings appropriately,and testing the terminal to ensure it is working properly before leavingthe installation.

Typically, when a customer of a satellite communication system has aproblem with the service (e.g., service interruption, pixilation, slowinternet), the customer calls a customer service hotline and speaks witha customer service representative. Typically, the customer servicerepresentative would attempt to determine if there is a simple problemthat can be addressed by the customer, such as by resetting or poweringdown the receiver. The customer service representative usuallydetermines what questions to ask the customer and what actions should betaken by the customer using a diagnostic tool. If a simple solution isnot found going through the designated questions and actions, a repairtechnician may be sent on a repair call to the terminal at thecustomer's home. The customer's responses to the customer servicerepresentative may lead to an initial diagnosis, which may dictatedispatching a repair technician, mailing a component to the customer forreplacement, or that no action is needed, for example, when the serviceinterruption is caused by weather conditions or a regional serviceinterruption. However, in many cases when a repair technician isdispatched, a repair call may not actually be necessary. Typically, adiagnostic tool is not revised or refined often because the process canbe a tedious, time consuming, and inefficient exercise.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides a new and innovative method and systemfor terminal diagnosis self correction. In an example embodiment, aservice inquiry is received relating to a problem with a terminal from auser. Terminal statistics are obtained remotely from the terminal andstored in a site diagnosis log. An initial diagnosis is determined witha site diagnostic tool using the terminal statistics and the initialdiagnosis is stored in the site diagnosis log. A technician isdispatched to repair the terminal. Terminal statistics are obtainedlocally at the terminal and stored in an onsite validation tool log. Anonsite diagnosis is determined using an onsite validation tool andstored the onsite validation tool log. The initial and onsite diagnosesare compared. In response to a difference between the initial and onsitediagnoses, the remotely and locally obtained terminal statistics arecompared. The site diagnostic tool may be adjusted based on the initialdiagnosis, the onsite diagnosis, the remote and local terminalstatistics, and any corrective actions taken.

Additional features and advantages of the disclosed system, methods, andapparatus are described in, and will be apparent from, the followingDetailed Description and the Figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a high level block diagram of an example satellitecommunication system, according to an example embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2 is a high level block diagram of an example communication system,according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a detailed block diagram of an example a computing device,according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example terminal diagnosis system,according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 includes a flowchart illustrating an example process for terminaldiagnosis self correction, according to an example embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

A high level block diagram of an example satellite communication system10 is illustrated in FIG. 1. The illustrated system 10 includes asatellite 20 and satellite terminals 30, each including an antenna andassociated hardware (e.g., receiver, transmitter, modem, router,computing device). The satellite terminals 30 may transmit and receivedata to and from the satellite 20. Typically, a satellite 20 receivesdata from a hub terminal 40 which is distributed to many satelliteterminals 30. It should be appreciated that a satellite terminal 30 maycommunicate with one or more satellites 20. Similarly, a satellite 20may communicate with one or more hub terminals 40, and a hub terminal 40may communicate with one or more satellites 20. Typically, a satellite20 communicates with each satellite terminal 30 using an uplink channel51 and a downlink channel 52, and also communicates with a satellite hub40 using a downlink channel 53 and an uplink channel 54. The uplinkchannel 54 and downlink channel 52 may be referred to as a forwardchannel while the uplink channel 51 and downlink channel 53 may bereferred to as a return channel. It should be appreciated that theuplink channels 51, 54 and downlink channels 52, 53 typically eachoperate in different frequency bands and with totally independentcircuitry. Accordingly, for example, a satellite terminal 30 typicallymay transmit data on the uplink channel 51 at a first frequency andreceive data on the downlink channel 52 at a second frequency. For asatellite terminal 30, the performance of the uplink channel 51 and thedownlink channel 52 are typically both separately evaluated indetermining a site diagnosis, as uplink data and downlink data eachprovide insight into any problems which may exist for the satelliteterminal 30.

It should be appreciated that in order for a satellite 20 to communicatewith a satellite terminal 30, the satellite terminal 30 must beconfigured correctly with a proper line of sight to the satellite 20.The satellite communication system 10 may be operating in any broadbandnetwork, for example, the K_(a) band, the K_(u), band, the C band, orthe like. For example, satellite communication system 10 may beimplemented on the SPACEWAY® and/or JUPITER™ platform. Accordingly, thesystem 10 may provide satellite coverage over a smaller area or largerarea, for example, regional coverage may be dozens or hundreds of mileswide. Also, for example, the system 10 may provide continental coverage.

If the antenna alignment of the satellite terminal 30 is not within acertain tolerance, transmission and/or reception of data may degradeand/or fail. However, even with proper antenna alignment, a satelliteterminal 30 may have reception or transmission problems due toenvironmental issues such as inclement weather conditions. For example,rain fade is a common problem for certain frequency ranges (e.g., theK_(a) band). Also, other interference sources, such as structures whichmay block a satellite terminal's 30 line of sight, may impedecommunication. Further, problems with terminal components and/orsettings may cause signal degradation or failure. Components may fail ordegrade for a variety of reasons (e.g., physical structural damage,short circuit). In some cases, a particular satellite terminal 30 may beexperiencing multiple different problems simultaneously. Moreover, thereare many potential causes of suboptimal communication for a satelliteterminal 30, and it is often difficult to correctly diagnose thespecific problem or problems a satellite terminal 30 may need corrected.Accordingly, for an operator of a satellite communication system 10, itmay be highly advantageous to improve the accuracy of terminal diagnosiswhen a satellite terminal 30 is experiencing a problem with service.

It should be appreciated that satellite terminals 30, which may also beknown as user terminals, earth terminals, ground stations, antennasites, or the like, may be referred to in the present application simplyas terminals or sites. Similarly, the terms customer servicerepresentative, customer service agent, and service agent may be usedinterchangeably in the present disclosure. Likewise, installer, servicetechnician, repair technician, onsite technician and technician may beused interchangeably in the present disclosure. Also, customer, enduser, and user may be used interchangeably in the present disclosure.Further, it should be appreciated that, the present application mayprovide example embodiments relating to a satellite based communicationsystem 10 as illustrated in FIG. 1, however, the present disclosure issimilarly applicable to other wireless communication systems, such asterrestrial communication systems.

A high level block diagram of an example network communications system100 is illustrated in FIG. 2. The illustrated system 100 includes one ormore client devices 102, one or more host devices 104, and one or morecommunication channels 106 (e.g., satellite communication). In asatellite communication system 10, the communication channels 106include communication via the air interface between a hub terminal 40and a satellite 20, and the satellite 20 and a satellite terminal 30.Also, for example, the hub terminal 40 may communicate with a hostdevice 104 (e.g., content provider) and the satellite terminal 30 maycommunicate with a client device 102 (e.g., personal computer).Likewise, a hub terminal 40 and/or satellite terminal 30 may communicatewith devices and/or networks that are not satellite based systems or notwireless (e.g., a local area network).

The system 100 may include a variety of client devices 102, such asdesktop computers, televisions, and the like, which typically include adisplay 112, which is a user display for providing information to users114, and various interface elements as will be discussed in furtherdetail below. A client device 102 may be a mobile device 103, which maybe a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a cellular phone, a personaldigital assistant, etc. The client devices 102 may communicate with thehost device 104 via a connection to one or more communications channels106 such as the Internet or some other data network, including, but notlimited to, any suitable wide area network or local area network. Itshould be appreciated that any of the devices described herein may bedirectly connected to each other instead of over a network. Typically,one or more servers 108 may be part of the network communications system100, and may communicate with host servers 104 and client devices 102.

One host device 104 may interact with a large number of users 114 at aplurality of different client devices 102. Accordingly, each host device104 is typically a high end computer with a large storage capacity, oneor more fast microprocessors, and one or more high speed networkconnections. Conversely, relative to a typical host device 104, eachtypical client device 102 may often include less storage capacity, asingle microprocessor, and a single network connection. It should beappreciated that a user 114 as described herein may include anycustomer, person, or entity which uses the presently disclosed systemand may include a wide variety of parties for both business use andpersonal use.

Typically, host devices 104 and servers 108 store one or more of aplurality of files, programs, databases, and/or web pages in one or morememories for use by the client devices 102, and/or other host devices104 or servers 108. A host device 104 or server 108 may be configuredaccording to its particular operating system, applications, memory,hardware, etc., and may provide various options for managing theexecution of the programs and applications, as well as variousadministrative tasks. A host device 104 or server may interact via oneor more networks with one or more other host devices 104 or servers 108,which may be operated independently. For example, host devices 104 andservers 108 operated by a separate and distinct entities may interacttogether according to some agreed upon protocol.

A detailed block diagram of the electrical systems of an examplecomputing device (e.g., a client device 102, a host device 104) isillustrated in FIG. 3. In this example, the computing device 102, 104includes a main unit 202 which preferably includes one or moreprocessors 204 electrically coupled by an address/data bus 206 to one ormore memory devices 208, other computer circuitry 210, and one or moreinterface circuits 212. The processor 204 may be any suitable processor,such as a microprocessor from the INTEL PENTIUM® family ofmicroprocessors. The memory 208 preferably includes volatile memory andnon-volatile memory. Preferably, the memory 208 stores a softwareprogram that interacts with the other devices in the system 100 asdescribed below. This program may be executed by the processor 204 inany suitable manner. In an example embodiment, memory 208 may be part ofa “cloud” such that cloud computing may be utilized by a computingdevices 102, 104. The memory 208 may also store digital data indicativeof documents, files, programs, web pages, etc. retrieved from acomputing device 102, 104 and/or loaded via an input device 214.

The interface circuit 212 may be implemented using any suitableinterface standard, such as an Ethernet interface and/or a UniversalSerial Bus (USB) interface. One or more input devices 214 may beconnected to the interface circuit 212 for entering data and commandsinto the main unit 202. For example, the input device 214 may be akeyboard, mouse, touch screen, remote control, track pad, track ball,isopoint, image sensor, character recognition, barcode scanner,microphone, and/or a speech or voice recognition system.

One or more displays 112, printers, speakers, and/or other outputdevices 216 may also be connected to the main unit 202 via the interfacecircuit 212. The display 112 may be a cathode ray tube (CRTs), a liquidcrystal display (LCD), or any other type of display. The display 112generates visual displays generated during operation of the computingdevice 102, 104. For example, the display 112 may provide a userinterface that may display one or more web pages received from acomputing device 102, 104. A user interface may typically includeprompts for human input from a user 114 including links, buttons, tabs,checkboxes, thumbnails, text fields, drop down boxes, etc., and mayprovide various outputs in response to the user inputs, such as text,still images, videos, audio, and animations.

One or more storage devices 218 may also be connected to the main unit202 via the interface circuit 212. For example, a hard drive, CD drive,DVD drive, and/or other storage devices may be connected to the mainunit 202. The storage devices 218 may store any type of data, such asimage data, video data, audio data, tag data, historical access or usagedata, statistical data, security data, etc., which may be used by thecomputing device 102, 104.

The computing device 102, 104 may also exchange data with other networkdevices 220 via a connection to communication channel 106. Networkdevices 220 may include one or more servers 226, which may be used tostore certain types of data, and particularly large volumes of datawhich may be stored in one or more data repository 222. A server 226 mayinclude any kind of data 224 including databases, programs, files,libraries, configuration data, index or tag data, historical access orusage data, statistical data, security data, etc. A server 226 may storeand operate various applications relating to receiving, transmitting,processing, and storing the large volumes of data. It should beappreciated that various configurations of one or more servers 226 maybe used to support and maintain the system 100. For example, servers 226may be operated by various different entities. Also, certain data may bestored in a client device 102 which is also stored on the server 226,either temporarily or permanently, for example in memory 208 or storagedevice 218. The network connection may be any type of networkconnection, for example, wireless connection, satellite connection,Bluetooth connection, Ethernet connection, digital subscriber line(DSL), telephone line, coaxial cable, etc.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example terminal diagnosis system 400.The terminal diagnosis system 400 may include a terminal diagnosticinformation processing system 402, a terminal 404, a customer servicerepresentative 406, and an onsite technician 408. The terminaldiagnostic information processing system 402 include a site diagnostictool 410, a site diagnostic tool log (“SDT log”) 412, an onsitevalidation tool 414, a onsite validation tool log (“OVT log”) 416, and adiagnosis correction tool 418. It should be appreciated that therespective diagram blocks of FIG. 4 may represent one or more physicaldevices and/or a person (e.g., a repair technician and his measurementtools) for ease of understanding.

A terminal diagnostic information processing system 402 may be used, forexample, by a company that provides satellite services, such astelevision, internet, telephone, etc., to customers, including home usecustomers, commercial businesses, and the like. The terminal diagnosticinformation processing system 402 is used to diagnose problems with aterminal 404 when a customer is experiencing a service interruption. Inan example embodiment, the terminal diagnostic information processingsystem 402 may be implemented in a single central location such as asatellite service company, with a central processing computer system(e.g., host device(s) 104 and server(s) 108). Also, for example, theterminal diagnostic information processing system 402 may be configuredin a distributed fashion where processing is performed at a separatelocation from data storage or the like. A customer servicerepresentative 406 may be a person located at a call center that fieldscalls from customers. The customer service representative 406 may askthe customer questions, diagnose the problem, and provide instructionsto the customer to remedy the problem. If the customer servicerepresentative 406 cannot determine what the problem is or cannot solvea problem remotely, an onsite technician 408 may be dispatched toprovide onsite assistance. The onsite technician 408 may perform varioustests and measurements, and may accordingly adjust or replace componentsof the terminal (e.g., adjust antenna position, replace a fuse, changetransmission settings).

The customer service representative 406 uses a site diagnostic tool 410to diagnose the problem with the terminal 404. For example, a sitediagnostic tool 410 may be provided via a host device 104, for example,in a customer service call center. The site diagnostic tool 410 mayobtain real-time statistics for a variety of parameters of the terminal404 (e.g., reception quality, transmission power). The customer servicerepresentative 406 may read questions from the site diagnostic tool 410,enter customer responses, and provide instructions to the customer basedon an initial diagnosis of the site diagnostic tool 410 based on thereal-time statistics and the customer's responses to questions and/orinstructions. For example, the site diagnostic tool 410 may includeproblem signature libraries that are used to provide an initialdiagnosis of a problem.

If necessary, an onsite technician 408 may be dispatched by the customerservice representative 406, for example, a terminal 404 component (e.g.,antenna, receiver, transmitter, modem) requires an adjustment orreplacement. Also, a return merchandise authorization (“RMA”) may beperformed by sending the customer a component via mail or deliveryservice, for example, if the customer can easily switch the componentout and there is no need for an onsite technician 408 to make a servicecall. It should be appreciated that unnecessary service calls may havesignificant costs. If performing an RMA will adequately address aproblem and an onsite technician 408 is not needed, the RMA will savethe cost of a service call. Accordingly, it is beneficial for the sitediagnostic tool 410 to accurately diagnose as many problems as possiblethat may be solved with an RMA. Likewise, it should be appreciated thatunnecessary RMAs may have significant costs. If an RMA will not fix theproblem and an onsite technician 408 is needed to fix the problem,accurate initial diagnosis of a problem that requires a service callfrom an onsite technician 408 will save the unnecessary cost of an RMA.Further, if a problem may be fixed by the customer action (e.g.,resetting or plugging in a receiver), an RMA and/or a service call is anunnecessary cost that may be eliminated with accurate initial diagnosis.Also, an accurate initial diagnosis can eliminate unnecessaryreplacement of hardware by the repair technician at the site. It shouldbe appreciated that in some cases, the initial diagnosis will beincorrect, uncertain, or require confirmation. The site diagnostic tool410 may provide all the terminal 404 statistics and the initialdiagnosis to the SDT log 412 for analysis at a later time. The SDT log412 may be persistently stored as a structured database, for example, ina dedicated server 108 remote from the site diagnostic tool 410.

When an onsite technician receives a dispatch call from the customerservice representative 406, the initial diagnosis determined by the sitediagnostic tool 410 may be communicated to the onsite technician 408,which may aid in quickly confirming the diagnosed problem, or if thediagnosis is uncertain, may allow for more efficient onsite diagnosis.The onsite validation tool 414 may confirm the diagnosis and/ordetermine the actual problem if the initial diagnosis was uncertain orincorrect. For example, the onsite technician 408 may use the onsitevalidation tool 414, which may provide instructions for the onsitetechnician 408 to perform (e.g., take measurements, run tests). All ofthe data from the measurements, tests, etc., may be transferred to theonsite validation tool 414 for analysis, and the onsite validation tool414 may continue providing further instruction to the onsite technician408 as needed until the problem is fully addressed with the terminal404. The onsite validation tool 414 may provide all the terminal 404statistics and the onsite diagnosis to the OVT log 416 for analysis, andfor comparison with the SDT log 412 data by the diagnosis correctiontool 418. The OVT log 416 may be persistently stored as a structureddatabase, for example, in a dedicated server 108 remote from the onsitevalidation tool 414.

The diagnosis correction tool 418 may compare the data relating to theterminal 404 in the SDT log 412 with the data relating to the terminal404 in the OVT log 416. For example, the initial diagnosis and all theterminal 404 statistics from the site diagnostic tool 410 may becompared with the onsite diagnosis and all the terminal 404 statisticsfrom the onsite validation tool 414. Accordingly, by using the resultsof the onsite technician's 408 actions, the initial diagnosis detectionperformed by the site diagnosis tool 410 may be enhanced and refined.

Accordingly, the presently disclosed method and system mayadvantageously use automated feedback through information obtained fromthe repair technicians and is inputted into the diagnosis generationprocess. Continual enhancements and refinement to the site diagnosisused by the customer service agent to diagnose customer problemsaccurately, minimize false dispatches to the customer sites, and providethe technician with accurate recommended repair actions, which mayreduce the technician's time on site. Additionally, the disclosed methodand system may provide for early detection of systemic problems.

FIG. 5 includes a flowchart of an example process 500 for terminaldiagnosis self correction. Although the process 500 is described withreference to the flowchart illustrated in FIG. 5, it will be appreciatedthat many other methods of performing the acts associated with theprocess 500 may be used. For example, the order of many of the blocksmay be changed, many blocks may be intermittently repeated orcontinually performed, certain blocks may be combined with other blocks,and many of the blocks described are optional or may only becontingently performed.

The example process 500 may begin when a service inquiry relating to aproblem with a terminal is received from a user (block 502). Forexample, a customer's internet or television service is interrupted sothe customer calls the service provider's customer service line. Theterminal may be part of a communication system operating in anybroadband network, for example, the K_(a) band on the SPACEWAY®platform. Also, in an example embodiment, the communication system maybe a terrestrial network. A customer service agent may take the call andstart the process of determining what problems, if any, the terminal isexperiencing. Also, for example, the service inquiry may be made via aweb page, email, text message, or the like. The customer service agentmay cause the terminal statistics to be remotely obtained from theterminal (block 504). For example, the terminal uploads all pertinentavailable data to upload to the site diagnostic tool. The terminalstatistics may include equipment identification, current settings, andcurrent and past measured data, for example, antenna type and size,reception power, transmission power, antenna gain, signal to noise ratio(Es/No), packet loss ratio, throughput speeds, and response times toname a few. For example, each of these parameters may be collected forboth the uplink and the downlink. It should be appreciated thatdepending upon the particular communication system in use, differentstatistics may be more or less useful, but the statistics used providethe capability to diagnose problems with the terminal remotely, forexample, by a customer service agent. Further, the units of measurementmay vary and typical exemplary basic units may include watts, decibels,milliseconds, error rates, etc. The received terminal statistics arestored in a site diagnosis log (block 506). For example, the entiretransmission of terminal statistics including current measurements andpast measurements over a period of time prior to the uploading of datamay be stored in the site diagnosis log.

An initial diagnosis is determined with a site diagnostic tool using theterminal statistics (block 508). For example, the customer servicerepresentative may read questions and instructions from the sitediagnostic tool to the customer and enter the customer's responses toprovide a remote diagnosis of the terminal. Terminal statistics and/oranswers to questions may be compared to problem signature libraries todetermine an initial diagnosis. For example, an initial diagnosis maydetermine that there is a problem with a certain component (e.g.,receiver, transmitter, antenna) and may characterize a terminal as“degraded” or as “bad” depending upon the severity of the problem basedon the problem signature libraries. Typically, for example, a badterminal may provide significant service interruptions while a degradedterminal may provide limited service interruptions which may not even benoticeable to the customer or a reduction in internet throughput speedand response times for both the uplink and downlink. Accordingly, theinitial diagnosis may include a determination of what the problem is andthe severity of the problem (or problems). Further, the initialdiagnosis may include information relating to any testing ormeasurements that an onsite technician may need to check or confirm tovalidate the initial diagnosis. The initial diagnosis is stored in thesite diagnosis log (block 510). If the initial diagnosis does notrequire follow up (e.g., service call or RMA), the inquiry may be closedunless another service inquiry is received from the customer.

In some cases, based on the initial diagnosis, a technician isdispatched to repair the terminal (block 512). For example, if theinitial diagnosis is that the terminal is bad because the power sourceof a transmitter is damaged, an onsite technician may be dispatched bythe customer service agent to replace the transmitter. Once thetechnician is onsite, the terminal statistics are obtained locally atthe terminal (block 514). For example, the onsite technician may use theonsite validation tool to provide step by step instructions to confirmthat the initial diagnosis is correct, make the necessary componentreplacement, and test the repaired terminal to ensure the problem isfixed. It should be appreciated that the onsite technician may notrequire instruction from the onsite validation tool, and may alsoperform tests not requested by the onsite validation tool. The locallyobtained terminal statistics are stored in an onsite validation tool log(block 516). For example, the terminal statistics are provided to theonsite validation tool log by the onsite technician when the repairs arecompleted. In an example embodiment, the locally obtained statistics maybe loaded to the onsite validation tool log in real-time as the siterepair is occurring.

The onsite diagnosis is determined using an onsite validation tool(block 518). For example, the onsite technician may perform varioustests and measurements and the onsite validation tool may be used toconfirm that the power supply of the transmitter is bad, and thetechnician may then make the necessary replacement. Once a replacementis made, the onsite validation tool may be used to confirm that theterminal is working properly and optimally. For example, using problemsignature libraries, the onsite validation tool may confirm a problem ofan initial diagnosis and then confirm correction of the problemfollowing the repairs. In an example embodiment, once a repair iscomplete at a given site, a technician may complete a repair actionreport that lists the various possible actions to resolve the problem.For example, the possible and actually performed corrective actionsincluding all intermediate steps, and all statistical data taken duringthe service call may be stored in the onsite validation tool. The onsitediagnosis is stored in an onsite validation tool log (block 520). Itshould be appreciated that with the stored onsite diagnosis, which mayinclude any and all problems found or confirmed, all corrective actionstaken by the onsite technician and confirmation of correction may alsobe stored in the onsite validation tool log.

The initial diagnosis and the onsite diagnosis are compared (block 522).For example, the initial diagnosis may be that a specific component(e.g., transmitter) failed and required replacement, and the onsitediagnosis may be different, for example, finding that a second componentalso was damaged and required replacement (e.g., transmitter andconnector). If the initial diagnosis and the onsite diagnosis are amatch, it indicates that the site diagnostic tool is accuratelydiagnosing the problem remotely, and the inquiry may be closed. However,when there is a discrepancy between the initial diagnosis and the onsitediagnosis, the site diagnostic tool may be able to be refined orimproved. For example, the problem signature libraries may requireupdating. It should be appreciated that even if the initial diagnosis isnearly identical to the onsite diagnosis, there may be room forrefinement in determining the initial diagnosis.

In response to a difference between the initial diagnosis and the onsitediagnosis, the remote and locally obtained terminal statistics arecompared (block 524). For example, compared terminal statistics mayinclude values such as the transmission power. Then, the site diagnostictool is adjusted based on the initial diagnosis, the onsite diagnosis,and the remote and locally obtained terminal statistics (block 526). Forexample, the diagnosis correction tool may use the terminal statisticsto determine that an initial diagnosis was not fully accurate due to animproper determination by the site diagnostic tool based on thetransmission power, and accordingly, may update the site diagnostic toolfor future service inquiries. The site diagnostic tool may also beadjusted based on whatever corrective actions were taken. For example,the diagnosis correction tool may adjust a threshold transmission powerin the problem signature libraries based on corrective actions taken bythe onsite technician.

In one example embodiment, the site diagnostic tool recognizes a site asa problem site. For example, if the ratio of the downlink deviation touplink deviation (DL/UL) is greater than or equal to 2 and less than orequal to 5, the library problem signature may indicate that there iswater in the radio. For example, this exemplary site has a DL/UL=2.5,and based on the problem signature libraries, the site diagnostic tooldetermines that water is leaking into the customer's radio. However,when a technician arrives at the site, the radio checks out as good, butthe technician notices that there is partial blockage due to tree leavesin the line of site. A new problem signature is captured at the site,which may then be used to refine the original problem signature used inthe initial diagnosis and may be added to the problem signaturelibraries by the diagnosis correction tool as a new partial blockagesignature, for example, where DL/UL≧2 and DL/UL≦3 indicates a partialblockage of the line of sight. The problem signature for water leakagemay be adjusted, for example, where DL/UL>3 and DL/UL≦5 is the new rangeof the DL/UL ratio for water leakage into the radio. Another exemplaryfeedback scenario is for a threshold correction. For example, acustomer's radio is deemed bad at the site diagnostic tool because thesignal to noise ratio (Es/No) is less than a certain number of decibels(e.g., 7.5 dB). However, a technician may arrive onsite and discoverthat the radio is good and that the signal quality factor was actuallyreduced due to weather fading. Accordingly, for example, a bad radiothreshold at the site diagnostic tool may be reduced to accommodate theunexpected signal fading due to the weather (e.g., reduced to 7.0 dB).It should be appreciated that the signal quality factor varies with theseason and therefore, may require threshold adjustment on a regularbasis.

For exemplary purposes, the present disclosure discusses a variousexamples relating to a satellite communication system. However, itshould be appreciated that the disclosed system, methods, and apparatusmay be advantageously used in various different types of communicationsystems including, for example, systems that do not use satellites(e.g., a terrestrial point to point communication system).

It will be appreciated that all of the disclosed methods and proceduresdescribed herein can be implemented using one or more computer programsor components. These components may be provided as a series of computerinstructions on any conventional computer readable medium, includingRAM, ROM, flash memory, magnetic or optical disks, optical memory, orother storage media. The instructions may be configured to be executedby a processor, which when executing the series of computer instructionsperforms or facilitates the performance of all or part of the disclosedmethods and procedures.

It should be understood that various changes and modifications to theexample embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilledin the art. Such changes and modifications can be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the present subject matter and withoutdiminishing its intended advantages. It is therefore intended that suchchanges and modifications be covered by the appended claims. Also, itshould be appreciated that the features of the dependent claims may beembodied in the systems, methods, and apparatus of each of theindependent claims.

The invention is claimed as follows:
 1. A method comprising: obtainingfirst terminal statistics remotely from a first terminal; determining aninitial diagnosis with a site diagnostic tool using the first terminalstatistics; obtaining second terminal statistics locally at the firstterminal; determining an onsite diagnosis using an onsite validationtool; comparing the initial diagnosis and the onsite diagnosis;comparing the first terminal statistics and the second terminalstatistics when a difference exists between the initial diagnosis andthe onsite diagnosis; and adjusting the site diagnostic tool based onthe initial diagnosis, the onsite diagnosis, the first terminalstatistics, and the second terminal statistics.
 2. The method of claim1, wherein terminal statistics include uplink statistics and downlinkstatistics.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein terminal statisticsinclude at least a reception power, a transmission power, and a signalto noise ratio.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the initial diagnosisincludes a characterization of at least one a component, an alignment,an uplink channel, and a downlink channel, as at least one of degradedand bad.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining anonsite repair to resolve the problem.
 6. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising storing corrective actions taken during an onsite repair toresolve the problem and adjusting the site diagnostic tool based on thecorrective actions taken.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprisingstoring possible corrective actions based on an onsite diagnosis.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, wherein a threshold used by the site diagnostic toolis modified.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein a range used by the sitediagnostic tool is modified.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein adiagnosis correction tool automatically adjusts the site diagnostictool.
 11. A system comprising: a computer readable medium storingterminal diagnostic information; and at least one processing deviceoperably coupled to the computer readable medium, the at least oneprocessing device executing instructions to: obtain first terminalstatistics remotely from a first terminal; determine an initialdiagnosis with a site diagnostic tool using the first terminalstatistics; obtain second terminal statistics locally at the firstterminal; determine an onsite diagnosis using an onsite validation tool;compare the initial diagnosis and the onsite diagnosis; compare thefirst terminal statistics and the second terminal statistics when adifference exists between the initial diagnosis and the onsitediagnosis; and adjust the site diagnostic tool based on the initialdiagnosis, the onsite diagnosis, the first terminal statistics, and thesecond terminal statistics.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein terminalstatistics include uplink statistics and downlink statistics.
 13. Thesystem of claim 11, wherein terminal statistics include at least areception power, a transmission power, and a signal to noise ratio. 14.The system of claim 11, wherein the initial diagnosis includes acharacterization of at least one a component, an alignment, an uplinkchannel, and a downlink channel, as at least one of degraded and bad.15. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one processing devicefurther executes instructions to determine an onsite repair to resolvethe problem.
 16. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least oneprocessing device further executes instructions to store correctiveactions taken during an onsite repair to resolve the problem andadjusting the site diagnostic tool based on the corrective actionstaken.
 17. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one processingdevice further executes instructions to store possible correctiveactions based on an onsite diagnosis.
 18. The system of claim 11,wherein a threshold used by the site diagnostic tool is modified. 19.The system of claim 11, wherein a range used by the site diagnostic toolis modified.
 20. The system of claim 11, wherein a diagnosis correctiontool automatically adjusts the site diagnostic tool.
 21. Anon-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions, which whenexecuted by a processing device, causes the processing device to: obtainfirst terminal statistics remotely from a first terminal; determine aninitial diagnosis with a site diagnostic tool using the first terminalstatistics; obtain second terminal statistics locally at the firstterminal; determine an onsite diagnosis using an onsite validation tool;compare the initial diagnosis and the onsite diagnosis; compare thefirst terminal statistics and the second terminal statistics when adifference exists between the initial diagnosis and the onsitediagnosis; and adjust the site diagnostic tool based on the initialdiagnosis, the onsite diagnosis, the first terminal statistics, and thesecond terminal statistics.